Le Domaine de Pécany

Stay close to base or roam far afield: loads of leisurely pursuits are available either way. Especially ancient sites and ancient art: local commune Le Buisson-de-Cadouin sitting pretty on the left bank of the Dordogne is home to Cussac cave (10 minutes' drive) and its 150+ Paleolithic works dating back at least 25,000 years. Also within 10 minutes are the Maxange caves and their stalactites, stalagmites and horizontal helictites, and it's well worth (read: a must) the 45-minute drive to see the 600 paintings of the Lascaux cave replica, one of the most famed and visited in France. Famed cities are fully covered too with Sarlat-la-Canéda within 35 minutes and Bergerac within 50. Closer to home, have a day in Limeuil 10 minutes' drive away, for a spectacular medieval setting at the confluence of the Dordogne and Vézère rivers. There's thick woodland to wander in its surrounding hills too: look out around this last for the stone terraces that used to be swathed in vineyards.